Fuel-feeding device



A. BANDOW FUEL FEEDING DEVICE Filed-July-lQ, 1927 wmww Aug. 20, 1929.

Patented Aug. 20, 1929.

UNITED STATES 1,724,988 PATENT OFFICE.

ADA BANnow, or CEDAR FALLS, iowA.

FUEL-FEEDING DEVICE.

Application filed July 19,

My invention relates to improvements in fuel feeding devices, and the objects of my improvements are, first, to supply for buildings a permanently housed apparatus therein to receive and deliver fuel in charges into a furnace, said apparatus having a telescopic extension which may be retracted to afford clearance space between it and the furnace. Second, to provide connected means in said apparatus for releasably retaining a charge therein, said means being operable to release a charge while simultaneously extending said extension before the charge moves thereover into the furnace. Third, to provide means for cont-rolling both the receiving and delivery ends of a fuel receiving portion placed intermediately in said apparatus, and fourth, to combine with the apparatus a separating slide within said receptacle together with means for brushing dust or fuel particles from the slide when the slide is withdrawn.

The above objects are accomplished by the means which are hereinafter described and claimed. and which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in vertical longitudinal section, of my said apparatus. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of said slide with the cooperating brush shown in transverse section. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of the resiliently controlled device for releasably retaining a charge in the fuel receiving portion. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of the universal joint included in the fire-door opening and closing means.

My invention is not restricted to the precise construction and arrangement of parts herein shown and described, nor to the various details thereof, as the same may be modified or rearranged in various particulars without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, one practical embodiment of which has been illustrated and described without attempting to show all of the various forms and modifications in which my invention might be embodied.

Vhile the drawings show my said apparatus as being built permanently into a building structure, yet it is obvious that it need not be so, but may be mounted to be easily separable therefrom when so desired.

When permanently installed, a relatively narrow structure 1 may be erected as shown on a level with the first or ground floor of a 1927. Serial No. 206,916.

house and provided with a passage and an outside door 4. W'ithin this addition is constructed a relatively large raised bin or receptacle having a longitudinally sloping bot tom 2, the lower or delivery end of which is adapted to deliver fuel from the receptacle slidably and downwardly into a downwardly offset chute 12, whose floor is preferably covered by a layer of substance 13 for deadening noises. This inclined chute 12 traverses an opening in the building above the floor level and also another opening in the first floor to project thence downwardly into a basement 36, and is housed in or inclosed to prevent much scattering of dust from descending fuel.

In slideways consisting of opposite horizontal apertures in opposlte side walls of the receptacle or bin 2, is mounted a rectangular slide plate 37 across the lower delivery part of the receptacle, to close it from discharging fuel into the chute 12 below. This slide has end handles to be used for manually withdrawing it in discharging a desired quantity of fuel or charge from the receptacle into the upper part of the chute 12, this upper part being a means to receive and hold such a charge until released to descend the chute into the fire-doorway of a furnace 30 as will be hereinafter described.

A window 5 covered with wire netting may be placed in either side-wall of the receptacle 2 to permit ocular inspection of the charge to be delivered into said fuel-receiving portion.

While the lower or delivery end of the chute 12 may be directed permanent-1y into or to deliver fuel charges into the open doorway of such a furnace, I prefer to furnish a telescopic extension for the chute. This comprises a requisite number of overlapping or telescoping troughed members 21 formed from sheet-iron, from whose side flanges at one end of each are projected hooks 22 which lap over and slidably engage the upper edges of the flanges on abutting members above. The members 21 may therefore limitedly slide to and fro upon each other extensibly or collapsibly, to either deliver fuel into the fire-doorway of the furnace 30 when extended, or to leave clearance between the end of the chute and the furnace when collapsed.

The slide 37 might, when withdrawn outwardly, carry coal dust into the side passage of the addition 1 when there is much slack in the coal contents of the receptacle 2. To

obviate this, I have mounted the fixed elongated body 39 of a brush 38 at the inner side wall of said receptacle to brush over the top of the slide when being withdrawn. This sweeps any such dust back into the receptacle.

Before delivering a charge of fuel down the chute 12 and its telescopic extension 21 when extended into the furnace fire-doorway, it is necessary to first open and hold open releasably the fire-door 81.

Referring again to said Fig. 1, the numeral 6 denotes a rock-shaft mounted transversely across the receptacle 2 above and near the slide 37, and this shaft carries a number of narrowly spaced curvate prongs 7 directed downwardly and toward the slide. One end of the shaft 6 projects into the side passage and has a short crank-arm 8 endconnected to a coiled tension spring 10 which tends to keep the prongs 7 in contact with the floor of the receptable closing it in advance of the slide. Upon the outer end of said shaft is a hand-crank 9 which may be rocked with the shaft in a direction to rock up the prongs 7 to allow fuel to slide downwardly from the receptacle upon the slide. The slide may be moved outwardly so that V the charge of fuel thereon may drop upon the intermediate part of the chute 12, after the crank 9 is relinquished and the prongs 7 broughtdown by the reacting spring 10.

The fuel charge is held in the intermediate part of the chute 12 by the following device. A similar closure device to that above described is used, and as shown in said Fig. 3, this device comprises a rock-shaft 145, a num ber of prongs 15, short crank-arms 10 on the ends of the shaft, tension springs 17 connected to said crank-arms, a pedal 16 on one end of the shaft, and relatively long crank-arms 18 on both ends of the shaft, the ends of the shaft let being rockingly mounted in bearing apertures in opposite side walls of the chute 12. Preferably, as shown in Fig. 3, springs 17 and crank-arms 40, also cranks 18 are provided at the ends of the rock-shaft 14 to equalize the action thereof and supply more powerful reactions of the springs. The prongs 15 engage the floor of the chute 12 normally by traction of the springs 17 to close the chute at the lower end of the fuel receiving part. The lower ends of'the long crank-arms 18 are rigidly connected to connecting-rods 19 whose other ends are pivotally connected to fixed depending apertured lugs 20 on the bottom ofthe outermost chute member 21. It will be seen, that when the pedal 16 is tripped by the operator, the means above described cause two operations to take place simultaneously. The prongs 15 are rocked upwardly to release the fuel charge in the intermediate portion of the chute, as simultaneously the crank-arms 18 by means of the rods 19 extend the chute parts 21 to enter the open fire-doorway of the furnace, the extension of the parts 21 occurring just prior to the passage thereover of the downwardly moving charge in the chute 12. l/Vhen the charge is thus delivered into the furnace, the operator releases the pedal 16, the springs 17 react to swing down the prongs 15, while the crank-arms 18 swing back causing the collapsing of the extensible elements 21.

If it is necessary to provide in the basement a small supply of fuel with which to start fires in the spring or fall intermittently, this may be done, by disconnecting the hooked ends of the connecting-rods 19 from the. apertured lugs 20, and then manually collapsing together and fastening up the members 21, so that when the pedal 16 is depressed one or more charges of fuel may be sent down the chute to be received into a box or basket set to receive the fuel.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is: r V

1. A fuel feeding device, comprising the combination with a furnace having a firedoorway, of a chute having a telescopic extension alined with said doorway, means for releasably retaining a charge of fuel in said chute, and other means operatively con nected with the first-mentioned means and said telescopic extension operative to release said fuel charge and simultaneously extend said extensible termination into said doorway before said fuel charge arrives at said extension.

2. A fuel feeding device, comprising the combination with a furnace having a firedoorway, of a chute having a telescopic extension alined with said doorway, resiliently controlled means for releasably retaining a charge of fuel in said chute, and other means operatively connected with the first-mentioned means and said telescopic extension operative to release said fuel charge and simultaneously extend said extension into said doorway before said fuel charge arrives at said extension, the resiliently controlled means reacting when released by the operator to return both its charge retaining means and said extensible termination to their initial positions.

of said closing means and said telescopic extension operative to release from said portion a fuel charge therein and simultaneously extend said telescopic extension before the fuel charge arrives upon it.

4. A fuel feeding device, comprising in combination with a furnace having a firedoorway, a chute having a telescopic extension alined with said doorway, said chute being in communication with a supply of fuel and having intermediate its length a charge-deposit portion, independently operative resiliently controlled means for respectively closing the receiving and delivery ends of said portion, an outwardly slidable partition dividing said portion transversely, and other means operatively connected with the second-mentioned of said closing means and said extension to release from said portion a fuel charge therein and simultaneously extend said extension before the fuel charge arrives upon it.

5. A fuel feeding device, comprising the combination with a furnace having a firedoorway, of a chute alined with and to deliver into said doorway, a receptacle for fuel having a chute-like bottom, and having a charge-receiving portion at a lower level, the delivery end of said chute-like bottom being separated from said charge-receiving portion by a movable slide mounted across the receptacle walls in an apertured bearing therefor, a flexible wiping device supported above said slide adjacent said bearing aperture to brush the upper surface of the slide when withdrawn to open communication between said chute-like bottom and said charge-receiving portion, and resiliently controlled means for retaining the charge of fuel in said portion, said means being manually operable to release said charge and then be returned to its initial closing position when released by the operator.

In testimony whereof I afiix m signature.

ADA B NDOW. 

